Page 62 of Did You See Evie

Connor is sitting on the sofa with his feet propped up. A baseball game is on the television. When he hears me enter, he puts the game on mute and turns around.

“Cass? I didn’t expect you home this soon.”

“The season is over. No more late practices,” I remind him. I’ll get into the ordeal with Mr. Lake and the rest of the team later. Nadia walks up behind me, and I point in her direction. “Babe, I want you to meet one of my old friends. This is Nadia.”

She steps forward, holding out a hand to shake Connor’s. He accepts, but his eyes dart toward me nervously. I’m not sure I’ve ever brought home a friend before.

“Welcome,” he says. “Are you friends from college?”

Nadia scoffs. “No. We go way back.”

“We went to school together,” I explain. “Nadia’s just moved back to town. I thought I’d invite her over for dinner.”

“Sure. I do get thrown whenever the season ends.” Connor rubs the back of his neck. “And now there’s all this mess with Evie.”

“I don’t feel like cooking,” I say, pulling open the freezer drawer to inspect what’s inside.

Over winter break, I take a day to do nothing but meal prep dinners. They come in handy on late nights after practices and games when I don’t feel like cooking. I do the same thing in August, before the new school year begins, hoping to give myself some options so I don’t subsist on takeout and pizza alone.

The name of the dish is written hastily on the front of the container. “Chicken and broccoli casserole?”

“I’m fine with anything,” Nadia says, taking a seat on the barstool beside the island. “As long as there’s wine to go with it.”

“Plenty of that,” I say, opening the cabinet to the left of the fridge.

Connor goes back to watching his game as I preheat the oven. Nadia quickly makes herself at home, digging through drawers until she finds a bottle opener. By the time I’ve put the casserole in to bake, she’s returned to her seat, two full glasses of wine sitting in front of us.

“So, any news?” Her voice is low, as though she’s deliberately trying to keep Connor from hearing.

“Not about anything related to her disappearance,” I say. I’ve lowered my voice, too. “I did talk to one of her teachers today. She told me there may have been more animosity between Evie and the girls on the team than I realized.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, there’s always been a healthy dose of competitiveness between the girls, and it’s no secret Evie is the best on the team.” I pause. “But they were bullying her. Making fun of her clothes and her lack of money.”

Nadia sips her wine. “Those little bitches.”

“Nadia!”

My first reaction is to scold her. They’re all just kids, after all. Then I remember what it was like growing up without access to nice things. Worse than that, to not have access to even basic needs. It’s something the girls at Manning Academy will never understand, but Nadia and I know all too well. The coach in me, the adult in me, wants to give the girls the benefit of the doubt. But the child in me knows exactly what Evie is going through, and soon I’m seething with the same anger that made me leave school early today.

“Do you think the bullying is connected to what happened to her?”

“I’m not sure.” I take a large gulp of my wine. “Right now, I’m just kicking myself for not picking up on it sooner. I mean, this is my team. I’m around them more than anyone else in the school. If things were this bad for Evie, I should have known about it.”

“Don’t beat yourself up too much. The other girls are smart enough to stay in your good graces. And I’m sure Evie didn’t want your pity.”

Nadia is right. The only thing worse than receiving someone’s cruelty is receiving their pity.

“Smells good,” Connor says, coming into the kitchen. He opens the cabinet and retrieves another wine glass. Pouring, he looks at Nadia. “Sounds like you two go way back. Why haven’t we ever met before?”

“I told you she just moved back here,” I say.

Nadia isn’t the only person I’ve lost touch with over the years, not that I had that many close friendships to begin with. My entire life, my goals have always revolved around basketball, getting the skills and grades I’d need for a scholarship. Once I got that, and my degree, my goals shifted, revolving around the teams I coached and how I could be there for my players. There isn’t much time for friends.

“We first met on the school bus,” Nadia says. “After her father?—”

“Nadia and I became close after both my parents died,” I say, cutting her off before she can say anything else. She gives me a look, but I ignore it, sipping my wine as I address Connor. “She was really there for me when no one else was.”

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